Title: The co-evolution of syntactic and pragmatic complexity: diachronic and cross- linguistic aspects of pseudoclefts
Abstract: This chapter examines the diachronic rise of a syntactically and pragmatically complex construction type: pseudoclefts. Given that cleft constructions combine available components of grammar – relative clauses and copular clauses – do they arise in full-fledged form? If they emerge gradually, what constrains their development? We first present a corpus-based analysis of the history of English pseudoclefts and develop qualitative and quantitative measures to identify properties of pseudoclefts at different developmental stages. We then apply the same measures of grammaticalization in a synchronic comparison of pseudoclefts in contemporary spoken and written German, Swedish, and English in order to test their crosslinguistic validity. We find that pseudoclefts develop gradually in a process driven by the pragmatic exploitation of their presuppositional structure (Lambrecht 1994). 1 1. Introduction: Cleft constructions and grammaticalization The diachrony of information structure constructions has been among the foundational issues of functional typological linguistics as well as research on grammaticalization. The synchronic finding that morphological focus markers often resemble copulas and that the non-focused (presupposed) part of focus constructions often exhibits properties of relative clauses allowed the reconstruction of a diachronic process in which morphological focus marking systems develop from syntactic (especially cleft) constructions (Givon 1979, Heine & Reh 1984). This cleft-to-focus marker pathway, as an example of the simplification of bi-clausal to monoclausal syntax, has been the phenomenon of primary interest thus far. Here we take a different approach to the topic. Rather than viewing focus constructions from the perspective of the reduction of syntax to morphology, we examine the emergence of cleft constructions themselves.
Publication Year: 2009
Publication Date: 2009-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 6
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